


Champion, Monarch

by Eeveecat1248



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, also i have no idea how celebrity meet and greets work and i have no intent of finding out, also its pokemon rules dont exist, also leon is everyones big brother, and it got to the world coronation series and i was like haha, ash doesnt care either so it's ok, could be read as Goh/Ash but I see them more as qpp so honestly go either way, featuring: goh finding out about some of ash's accomplishments, this fic was born from the idea of i was catching up on journeys, what if ash was in that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26999845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eeveecat1248/pseuds/Eeveecat1248
Summary: Ash is the Champion of Alola. He knows this. Goh does not. Ash didn't think it was important. Goh thinks it very much is. Also Leon is there.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Gou | Goh & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Comments: 19
Kudos: 309





	Champion, Monarch

**Author's Note:**

> Don't have much to say about this, it's not a particularly good fic, but it's fun, and that's what counts. Also my working title for the document was 'Leon Gets Dunked On' and I think that's vital information.

“Hey Ash, Goh! Come here!” Professor Cerise calls from across the lab.

“Huh? Sure, Professor!” Ash yells back, jogging over.

Once he and Goh have stopped in front of him, the professor holds out an envelope. “Look what finally came in the mail!”

“An envelope?” Ash says, confused.

“I think he means what’s _in_ the envelope,” Goh adds.

Professor Cerise pulls back the envelope and starts opening it. “Exactly! In here are tickets for the World Coronation Series!”

“Woah!” Goh yells, “You got tickets?!”

“For you two, actually! I wanted to reward how hard you’ve been working at the lab!”

Ash pauses. “Thank you so much, but I already have plans to be there! We could meet up there, though!”

Goh looks disappointed, then perks up. “Yeah! We can meet up after the battle! Also, we can hang out on the trip there!”

“Actually,” Ash starts, “I leave this evening. I’m meeting up with some old friends before the tournament. Sorry…”

“Aw… But that’s okay! I just can’t wait for the tournament!”

The evening passes quickly. Professor Cerise knew Ash was going to be on temporary leave, and he’d packed his stuff already. Inevitably though, He and Pikachu were late leaving the lab and had to rush out the door.

“Bye Goh, bye Professor Cerise, bye Chloe, bye Chrysa, bye Ren!” he yells over his shoulder, sprinting off down the street.

* * *

To say that Goh’s excited to be at the World Coronation Series finale is an understatement. It’s a showdown between two champions, and the atmosphere is almost electrical. They look around the stadium in a futile attempt to spot Ash.

And then the house lights are out and the spotlights are on. Smoke billows from the edge of the stadium, and multicolored lights flare through the haze. Fireworks explode above, adding a cacophony of sound to the tension.

Music is playing, too. A long drumroll that started under the roar of the audience, but has grown to a thundering sound, backed by a number of instruments Goh’s too hyped up on adrenaline to identify.

The announcer’s voice joins in, booming over it all. “Entering the stadium now, our two champions. First up! The undefeated Galarian Champion, Leon!”

On the field, a tall figure pushes through the smoke, lit at every angle by multicolored light.

“The favorite to win this match, he’s a legend that’s never lost once since becoming champion!”

Leon’s heavy cape sweeps behind him, carrying smoke with it in a decidedly cool way. It’s hard to tell from this far away, but he looks determined.

“Aaaand on the other side, we have the very first Alolan Champion, Ash!”

It takes Goh a second to take in what the announcer just said, and by then, the Alolan Champion is visible through the smoke.

It’s Ash. _Their_ Ash, the Ash they know, has traveled with, the Ash with the Pikachu, because there’s Pikachu, right there on his shoulder. He’s wearing a hat, like always, but different clothes, with a jacket instead of the vest he usually wears at the lab. He has a belt with a looped strap with his pokeballs on it. All together, he looks much more like a trainer, and less like a kid.

This can’t be real. But somehow, it _is_ , and _Ash_ is on the field with Leon. _Champion_ Ash. The Champion of Alola. They knew Ash had recently been at school in Alola. They’d figured he’d been a transfer student or something, not… _this_.

But Ash is down there, grin visible on his face even all the way up here. Goh just stares at him, open mouthed, unable to take their gaze off their friend, walking up to his place on the battlefield.

The announcer continues on, entirely unaware of Goh’s crisis. “We will now begin the final match of the World Coronation Series! Will both trainers come forth? This will be a single battle. A trainer will win when their pokemon can no longer continue to fight.”

Leon’s the first to speak. “Well, Champion, it’s good to finally get to battle you!” His voice rolls over the stadium, carried by a microphone and speakers set up all over the stadium.

“It’s good to battle you too!” Ash replies, ever cheerful. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time!”

Gesturing dramatically in a way that flares his cape, Leon responds enthusiastically. “I sure hope I don’t disappoint!”

“I’m sure you won’t!”

The announcer cuts in here, “Champions, will you both select your pokemon?”

It’s here that Goh is finally able to tear his eyes away from Ash, and turn to Scorbunny by his side. “Did you know about this?!” They hiss at him.

Scorbunny shrugs. “Scor! Bun scorbun!”

Goh whips their head back around to watch the champions bring out their pokemon. Leon goes first, throwing a pokeball that opens to a charizard, roaring proudly.

Then it’s Ash’s turn, and to their surprise, he reaches out towards the battlefield with his left arm, and Pikachu runs along and jumps out onto the field as Ash yells, “Pikachu, I choose you!”

Pikachu yells back a confident “Pika pi _ka_!” that’s loud enough to pick up on Ash’s microphone.

They’d thought he’d go with a stronger pokemon, something fully evolved, maybe even with a mega evolution.

There’s a moment that passes in a flash as they stare each other down. And then the announcer yells “Battle begin!” and it’s _on_.

“Here we go!” Ash yells, “Pikachu, Electroweb!”

“Charizard, dodge it and use Air Slash!”

The fight is off with a bang, as Pikachu launches the widest net Goh’s ever seen him make, but Charizard blasts off upwards, wings glowing, and launches arcs of bright energy towards Pikachu.

“Quick Attack!” Ash yells, and Pikachu is instantly on the move, circling around Charizard in a wide arc on the ground, leaving the energy beams to slam into the ground, great clouds of dust billowing up. Leon and Charizard watch Pikachu’s movements carefully, and the second Ash yells “Now!”, Leon’s shouting a command as well.

“Flamethrower! Keep it from getting close!”

The jet of flame is incredible, but after a moment, it dissipates, cut through the middle by Pikachu using Iron Tail. Then, it follows up with another attack with Iron Tail, scoring a hit against Charizard before springing back, using it’s head as a springboard to get out of the line of fire for any followup attack.

Charizard shakes its head as Pikachu slowly paces in a circle around it. Leon calls out to his pokemon, which responds with a growl.

This time, Leon takes the offensive. “Flamethrower, now!” Charizard rears back, and with a roar, launches another torrent of fire.

“Thunderbolt, here we go!” Ash cheers back, and Pikachu yells, charging up and shooting off a bolt of lightning so bright it makes Goh’s eyes hurt. It’s nothing like the Thunderbolts they’ve seen Pikachu shoot off before, so bright it’s mostly white, and colliding with the Flamethrower in a split second with an enormous noise.

The attacks stall in the middle as the crowd yells, and then Pikachu’s thunderbolt tears through the flames, hitting Charizard square on, causing it to fall from the sky and hit the ground with an echoing thump, before immediately starting to get back up.

“Awesome! Now move in with Iron Tail!”

Leon’s yelling too. “C’mon, Charizard!”

Even without the use of Quick Attack, Pikachu reaches Charizard in an instant, slamming it’s tail into it’s shoulder, sending it crashing to the ground again.

“Fire Spin, then Thunder Punch! You can do it!”

Ash swipes a hand through the air as he yells, “Dodge the punch!”

Pikachu’s able to jump off Charizard, springing back over the hooked punch, but landing well within the circle of flame spread around the two of them.

“Another Thunder Punch! More!” Leon calls.

“Quick Attack and up!” Ash counters. Pikachu dodges that punch by jumping in the air, but gets hit by the next and sent flying, before crashing into the ground and skidding to a stop right in front of the fire.

“Pikachu! You okay? Alright, let’s go! Electro Web!”

Springing to its feet, Pikachu dashes forward and then launches itself into the air, into a flip that launches the Electro Web into the air. It only holds Charizard back for a moment, though, and then its Thunder Punch breaks through.

Shards of electricity fill the air, and then a blur of motion and Charizard’s falling backwards. Pikachu pushes off of it, landing neatly on its feet a couple meters away. It used the shattering Electro Web as a distraction to slip past Charizard’s defenses.

“Alright,” Leon calls, not angry or frustrated, but determined. “Let’s finish this.” He calls back Charizard, and almost immediately, the pokeball begins to enlarge and glow. And then Leon throws it back out, and Charizard is _huge._

Charizard already towered over Pikachu, but now it’s _colossal_ , the smaller pokemon minuscule by comparison. But it doesn’t even step back, just looks up at its enormous foe as Ash adjusts his stance and grins wide enough for Goh to see all the way up in the stands.

“Time for us to get serious too, then!” Ash yells, holding up his left hand. Something on his wrist glitters in the light. Pikachu shouts something only barely audible over Charizard’s growling roar, and turns to run back towards Ash.

Upon reaching it’s trainer, Ash takes off his hat and puts it on Pikachu’s head. Pikachu yells again, and then turns back to face Charizard.

“Ready?” Ash hollers over to Leon.

“Definitely!” He shouts back.

“Here we go!” Ash continues, “Let’s show them our true power!” He crosses his arms in front of him, and there’s a flare of light. Pikachu jumps up to it’s trainer and Ash meets it with a high-five, before it lands right in front of him again.

Then they begin to move, completely synchronized. “Much bigger than a Thunderbolt,” Ash yells, almost to himself, “the mighty call that reaches the heavens, and the response, tearing through a stormy sky!”

He and Leon call out at the same time,

“Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt!”

“G-Max Wildfire!”

If Goh thought the clash between Pikachu’s Thunderbolt and Charizard’s Flamethrower was impressive, then this was _legendary_. There’s fire and lightning everywhere, and the stadium is so bright they have to squint. The great fiery figure Charizard launched is met in the middle of the stadium with the multicolored tendrils of electricity Pikachu’s giving off.

And then Ash cheers, “C’mon Pikachu! We can do it!”

The electricity flares brighter and brighter and Goh’s forced to blink for the blinding light.

They open their eyes in time to see an enormous explosion as the electricity makes contact with Charizard. The boom of sound is incredibly intense, deafening, even. The cloud of dust and smoke kicked up obscures the whole battlefield.

It clears slowly, but through the haze, two things become clear. The first is that Charizard is no longer Gigantimaxed, and is in fact lying on the ground. The second is that Pikachu is still standing.

A long moment passes, the silence tense and strange after the fireworks of the past minute or so. Finally, the announcer speaks again. “I- I don’t believe it. Charizard is unable to battle! Ash is the winner!”

The crowd goes _wild_. Goh’s yelling, they don’t know what they’re yelling, but their attention is on the battlefield below. Leon just stands there for a moment, before slowly walking forward and returning Charizard.

Meanwhile, Pikachu turns and jumps into Ash’s arms. He laughs as it nuzzles up to him, and says “You did great, buddy!” before walking up to meet Leon.

“That was an awesome battle!” Ash says all in a rush. “You and Charizard were so cool!”

Leon replies, “You were great too!” Then he holds out his hand. Ash lets Pikachu climb up to it’s usual perch on his shoulder, then takes it. “I’m glad to have taken part in such an incredible battle.”

Then he changes his grip, taking Ash by the wrist and holding his hand in the air, denouncing the winner for all to see. “Today, we have all witnessed the rise of a Monarch! Ash Ketchum, Champion of Alola, is the greatest pokemon trainer in the world!”

Again, the crowd roars. Leon and Ash hold that pose for a long moment as fireworks explode overhead. Finally, Leon lets go and Ash drops his arm. They turn to each other. Ash bows slightly, more an incline of his head then anything else. A winner to an honorable opponent.

They shake hands again, then each walk off back to the entrances where they came in. The cheering continues for a long time.

Goh doesn’t really remember getting up and heading outside the stadium to the reception. By the time they get there, it’s already really crowded around the podium set up for the two competitors to stand on. Reporters are swarming around the empty stand, waiting for them to arrive.

They weigh the pros and cons of getting closer. Probably not worth it- they can always ask Ash later, back at the lab. Because Ash is their research assistant, and a _champion._ AND the world Monarch. They still can’t believe it.

It takes a couple minutes, but then Ash and Leon are walking out of the stadium, escorted by some official looking people. The reporters are clamoring, asking questions even before they’ve walked up the steps on the back of the podium.

Dealing with the press is exhausting for Goh to even watch. They can’t imagine what it must be like for Ash and Leon, all caught up in it. Although, Leon looks near unflappable, even as people shove microphones up and demand to know what it feels like for him to lose for the first time in over a decade.

Meanwhile, Ash is ever cheerful, waving to the reporters and gesturing widely and answering questions. Pikachu’s enthusiastic too, chipping in every now and then and climbing around Ash’s shoulders.

After maybe fifteen minutes, Goh’s bored of waiting and listening to reporters bother their friend. They stand up from the bench they’ve been sitting at and stretch, call Scorbunny over from where it was playing by the row of trees, then start walking away. Ash might’ve said they could meet up after the championship, but they can catch up just as well on call at their hotel rooms, or even when they get back to Cerise Laboratories. They have a lot they want to talk to Ash about.

Their thoughts are interrupted when they hear Ash call their name _very_ loudly. Goh freezes, as suddenly, eyes are on them. Turning to face the podium, they wave.

“Hey Ash!” they yell back, hoping no one else can hear their heart pounding.

“C’mere! I wanna introduce you to Leon!”

Goh blinks at him. Ash wants to introduce them. To Leon. Champion Leon, runner-up of the World Coronation Series. They remind themself that Ash is _also_ a Champion, and the _winner_ of the Series. It still doesn’t feel real. None of this feels real. They walk towards the podium.

Hushed voices surround their walk through the crowd and up to the platform. Ash crouches down and holds out a hand. Goh grabs it without a second thought, and Ash helps pull them up onto the podium, Scorbunny jumping after them.

It’s very strange. They look around. Glare from cameras and lights shines up in their face, and they can see dozens, hundreds of people watching them. They haven’t let go of Ash’s hand, and he hasn’t let go of theirs, so they take comfort in that pressure. And then they remember that while on their right, there’s Ash, on the left, there’s _Leon_.

Ash just smiles at them and says, “Goh, I want you to meet Leon! He’s really cool!”

Leon holds out a hand to them. “It’s nice to meet you too! Ash’s talked about you a lot!”

They freeze again, then slowly let go of Ash’s hand to shake Leon’s. “It- it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

And all of a sudden, the reporters are at it again, asking ‘who are you’ and ‘how do you know Champion Ash’ and so many more questions Goh doesn’t have the presence of mind to answer. 

Ash steps in, explaining, “Goh’s my friend! They’re a research assistant under Professor Cerise! We’ve been working together recently!”

More questions come in a flurry. Leon takes a turn next, saying “Alright, let’s open up questions to everyone else, alright? If you represent a news source, we ask that you refrain from participating in this round of interviews.”

Most of the reporters shuffle back, camera crews readjusting as the public swarms in up close.

“Alright!” Leon says with a clap. “Let’s get going!”

There are a lot of questions. A lot of people want to meet Leon and Ash, but even a surprising amount of people want to talk to Goh. Some of them are determined reporters, trying to get a grip on who he is. Others are aspiring pokemon researchers, trying to become lab assistants. Some just want to know how he knows the Champion, now Monarch.

At some point, Goh doesn’t know how long it’s been, it’s all just a haze, but the moon is high in the sky and they feel both hopped up on adrenaline and tired to the bone, Leon calls it.

“Alright everyone, thank you so much for coming, but the official Meet and Greet is over!” There’s an immediate clamor of complaining people who didn’t get a chance to push to the front of the pack, but Leon ignores it in a way that speaks of practice. “I hope you all had a champion time here at the World Coronation Series!”

“Yeah! Thanks so much, everyone!” Ash pitches in. Goh just stands there, unsure of their place in this whole affair.

The three of them are then led off the podium by the same official people, and escorted into the now empty stadium. The minute they get away through the doors and out of view, Leon leans against a wall exhaustedly and Ash sits down on one of the minimalist benches, head drooping. Pikachu’s in his lap and looks like it’s about to fall asleep.

Awkwardly, Goh moves to sit down on the other side of the bench Ash is on.

Ash speaks first, lifting his head and saying. “Why is battling the easy part?” he almost whines, “Public appearances are so hard…”

Leon laughs. “I wish I could say they get better. They do get easier, that’s for sure.”

“It’s not that I don’t like meeting people! I could do that all day.” Ash continues, “I’m just tired of everyone expecting me to talk about myself. I’m not that special.”

This time, it’s Goh that responds, surprising even themself. “Not special? Ash, you’re the Champion of Alola, the _World Monarch_.”

“Yeah, but…”

“You can’t just ‘yeah but’ your way out of this. And! When were you planning on _telling me_?!”

Ash laughs nervously and scratches the back of his neck. “I didn’t think it was important?”

“Not important?! Ash, you-” they abruptly remember that Champion Leon is also in the room with the two of them. He’s quietly laughing.

“Ash didn’t tell you? Figures. How long have you been travelling with him?”

It takes them a second to count back. “Maybe… three weeks?”

Leon nods. “So you’re still new. Good luck.”

While Goh’s trying to puzzle that out, Ash pouts and responds, “I’m not _that_ bad-”

Leon counters with what Goh thinks is the name of a pokemon. “Tapu Koko. On your first day.”

“That was last time!”

“Oh, and Ho-Oh? You told us about Ho-Oh, don’t forget”

“I didn’t even see Ho-Oh this time!”

“Lugia?”

Ash stops, mouth open. “Okay, fair.”

Completely lost, Goh’s gaze flicks between the two of them, arguing like brothers. “Wait. You two know each other?”

“Hard not to,” Leon responds. “Champion’s secret.”

“We’re in a groupchat with the other champions!” Ash says cheerfully.

Leon mock glares at him. “What happened to ‘champion’s secret’?!”

Ash just laughs. Pikachu stirs in his lap, muttering a sleepy “Pikapi…”

Goh’s still putting things together. “So you’ve been in a groupchat with all the other champions since you won the Alolan League?”

“Nope!” he replies cheerfully. “I got in after I won the Orange Islands Championship!”

“You won the what.”

Leon walks over to sit on the bench across from Ash and Goh. “Look. Do you know how many leagues Ash’s participated in?”

“A _pparently_ Alolan and Orange Islands?”

“Wrong. He’s participated in every one in this quarter of the world save one. Every single one in the north west hemisphere except for Galar. Kanto, Johto, Orange Islands, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Alola, Unova, and Kalos. And it’s just a matter of time until he takes on Galar.”

Goh just stares at Leon. Then Ash. Then Leon, then back to Ash. “That’s…” they count on their fingers, muttering regions under their breath, “That’d make Galar your _Ninth_?”

Ash looks very much like a deerling in the headlights. “I… yeah?”

“Arceus.” they mutter. “And you didn’t tell me? And don’t you dare say you ‘didn’t think it was important’.”

“Well,” Ash starts, “At first I just didn’t really think about it, y’know? And then it just felt… I dunno, like it didn’t make sense to bring up?”

Scorbunny pushes its way into Goh’s lap, between their hands, and sits there. They sigh. “I guess…”

Conversation dwindles until Goh shoots up, displacing Scorbunny as they stand, turn, and point at Ash. “But why didn’t you tell me when you said you were going to the World Coronation Series?! You just said you had your own plans!”

“I did!”

“But you didn’t say anything about _competing_!”

“Should I have?”

“Yes!”

Their argument is cut off by Leon laughing again. “Ash, never change.” He holds up his phone. “By the way, the others are still waiting for us- continue this conversation there?”

“Sure!”

Goh stops. “The others?”

“The other Champions,” Leon says with a smile. “They’re at the hotel we’re staying at. Want to come with?”

“Goh! Please come!” Ash shouts excitedly.

“Definitely!” They say with a smile. Today has been full of surprises for them, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the warm feeling they get as Ash takes their hand to lead them after him.

**Author's Note:**

> I might be writing a sequel to this- I had another scene in mind, but just wanted to get this done and work on other projects, so this is where I'm leaving it for now! I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
